Ladle-crane.



No. 718,160. PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903. F. A. BUNDLE.

' LADLE" CRANE.

APPLmATIoN FILED MAY 26, 1902.v

' no MODEL. z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE Noam: Farms ou. Prroraumo., WASHINGTON D c 110.718,100. 101101111111 JAN. 13, 1903.

LADLE CRANE.

APrLIcATIoN FILED MAY 20, 1902. No Monm.. 2 SHEETS-SHEET a..

NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED A. RUNDLE, OF HARVEY, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,160, dated January 13, 1903.

Application filed May 26, 1902l Serial No. 109,059. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, FRED A. RUNDLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harvey, in the county of. Cook and State Vof Illinois, have invented'a new and useful Improvement in Ladle-Cranes, of which the following is a specification in its best form now known to me, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which similar numerals indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

My invention relates to cranes for handling steel and other molten metal in large ladies; and the object of my invention is to provide such a crane which will easily handle the metal and which shall possess the element of safety in that it is not liable to break down and allow the hot metal to spill out of the ladie, thereby injuring the workmen, the molds which are prepared for casting, and other machinery in the foundry.

My invention consists,essentially,in a crane in which the ropes or chains which control the ladle are reeved in duplicate, one of the pairs being in tension and carrying the load, and the other, by the side of it, being practically idle, so that it can take up the load if the first cable breaks.

My invention consists in such a'ladle-crane which can be easily and cheaply constructed and economically operated and also in cornbinations and details of construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a traveling crane of the usual type, show'- ing a side view of the carriage and the method of suspending the ladle therefrom and the crane-girder itself in sectional end elevation. Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing one form of the connections of the cables forming one of the essential parts of my invention, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring again to the drawings, 11 and 12 indicate, respectively, the side plate-girders of an ordinary traveling crane, these girders being fastenedtogether by the angle 13 and other connections, (not shown,) the whole crane traveling on `Wheels (not shown) along a track at the sides of the building in theordinary way. Along the top of these girders are track-rails l5 and 16, on which wheels 17 and 18 are adapted to travel. Mounted on 'riage the journals 19 and 20 of these wheels 17 and 18 are the trucks 2l and 22 of the crane-car- These trucks are rigidly connected together by the beams 23, preferably built up of steel channels and plates, as shown. Rising from each of the trucks are journal-boxes 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28. Mounted in these journals are shafts 30, 31, 33, 32, and 34. Also mounted on the crane-carriage is an electric motor 36, having on its shaft 37 a pinion 38. This pinion 38 meshes in a gearwheel 40, rigidly secured to the shaft 33, on which is another pinion 4l, which meshes in the gear 42, rigidly secured to shaft 31, carrying the pinion 43, which pinion meshes in a gear 44, rigidly secured to the shaft 30. Rigidly secured to shaft 32 is another gear 46 of equal size with gear 42 and meshing with it. Also mounted on shaft 32 is a pinion 47, which meshes with a gear 48 of equal size with gear 44, mounted on shaft 34.

From the above it appears that as the motor 36 operatesthe gears 44 and 48 are rotated in opposite directions at equal speed. Rigidly mounted ou shafts 30 and 34 are winding cylinders or drums 50, on' one half of which are cut two parallel right-hand screw-threads 5l, and on the opposite half are cut left-hand screw-threads 52 of the same size and pitch. These parallel threads are of suflicient width and depth to permit ropes or chains, to be hereinafter described, which serve to carry 'and controlthe ladle, to lie in and be guided by them.

Extending up through the cross-beams 23 at each end of the carriage are bolts 55 and 56, adaptedto be regulated at their upper ends by any suitable means-as, for instance, the nuts 57 and 58 and the check-nuts 59 and 60. On the lower end of bolt 55 is"journaled a pulley 62,-and on the lower endof bolt 56 isjournaled another pulley 63. These bolts and pulleys are entirely independent of each otherand either may be adjusted up or down, as desired.

Suspended below the main frame of the crane-carriage by ropes or chains, to be hereinafter described, is a horizontal cross beam or frame 66, made up, preferably, of I-beams 67 and 68, braced together in any suitable manner. J ournaled at the ends of this frame 66 are shafts 70 and 71, respectively. Each IOO of these shafts carries two pulleys 72 and 73, each having cut on its periphery two parallel grooves 74 and 75. As shown in Fig. 1, the length of the frame or cross-beam 66 is such and the locations of the shafts 70 and 71v Pivoted to the frame 66 at 78 and 79 or other suitable points are hooks 8O and 81 or other suitable mechanism adapted to be attached directly to opposite sides of the ladle of molten steel or other metal which the crane is designed to handle. Rigidly secured to one end of the drum or cylinder 50 at each end of the crane carriage in the parallel grooves 51, heretofore described, are the ends of two ropes 84 and 85, the rope 84 passing down around a pulley 72 in `groove 74 therefor, thence up and over pulley 62, thence down and around groove 74 in a pulley 73, thence up to the drum 50, -where its other end is rigidly secured in one of the grooves 52, heretofore described. Parallel to rope 84 is the other rope 85, passing down around a pulley 72 in groove 75, thence up over pulley 63, thence down again and around a pulley 73 in groove 75 and up to a drum 50, where its other end is secured in a groove 52, parallel and adjacent to the one in which the end of rope 84 is fastened. It will thus be seen that if shafts 30 and 34, and with them drums 50, are rotated the ends of the ropes 84 and 85 will be wound onto the drums, resting in the parallel screw-threads 51 and 52, heretofore described, and that in so doing the shafts 70 and 7l, and with them 'the frame 66, inwhich they are journaled, will be raised. In doing this the two sets of pulleys 62 and 63 act simply as idlers for equalizing the tension on the two ends of each of the two ropes. As gears 44 and 48 on shafts 30 and 34, and consequently the drums 50 upon said shafts, are rotated at the same speed as heretofore described, it will be seen that if the frame 66 is once placed in a level position, as shown in Fig. 1, and the motor set in motion the frame 66 will be raised or lowered, according to the direction of motion of the motor, while maintaining a horizontal position or parallel to its first position, if it was not originally horizontal, and that consequently the ladle attached to the hooks 8O and 8l will be maintained substantially level.

Ladle-cranes of somewhat similar general construction have been used heretofore; but the great and fatal objection to themhas been thatif the single rope supporting either side of the ladle broke the ladle would swing down, so that the molten metal in it would be poured out on the floor of the foundry and frequently onto4 the workmen, thereby seriously injuring them and subjecting the company operating the crane to large liabilities for personal injuries, to say nothing of the damage to the plant generally.

In the ladle-crane of my invention I place the parallel ropes 84 and`85 at each end of the frame carrying the ladle, as just described and then adjust one rope-as, say, the rope 85--by means of the bolt 56 and nuts 58 and 60, so that it carries all of the load of the frame 66, just as though rope 84 were not present, each of the ropes 84 and 85 being of sufficient strength to carry under ordinary conditions the entire load it is required to maintain. I loosen the bolt 55 by means of the nuts 57 and 58, so that the rope 84, running parallel to the rope 85, is just tight enough to maintain it in proper position on the pulleys, but so that it does not under ordinary circumstances carry any of the load. The result is that when for any reason the rope 85 breaks the load would shift to the rope 84 and the frame 66 does not fall, as heretofore described, and consequently no one is injured. Of course as soon as rope 85 breaks a new one should be put in its place, so that there are always two ropes carrying each end of the frame 66, both of them being capable of singly sustaining the entire load in the absence of the other.

It is to be understood that in the complete crane proper mechanism is supplied to move the entire crane supported on the trusses 11 12 13 along the room and proper other mechanism to move the carriage and attached parts carried by the wheels 17 and 18 along the rails 15 and 16 and that other mechanism than the motor 36 may be used to operate the train of gears shown at the top of Fig. 1.

I desire it to be particularly understood that chains may be substituted for the ropes described and that wherever in the claims the word ropes is used the words or chains are to be understood as implied, whether eX- pressed or not.

If it is desired, either one of the bolts 55 or 56 may be made stationary, While the other is adjustable. I find, however, that it is an advantage to have both adjustable. wish to be limited to the exact details of construction, which may be varied within reasonable limits without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a ladle-crane the combination of a movable carriage, a winding mechanism carried by said carriage, a frame or beam below said carriage adapted to have a ladle secured thereto, two ropes so connecting each end of said frame to the winding mechanism above it that as said winding'mechanism is operated the frame is moved up and down in a position always substantially parallel to its first position, and mechanism for adjusting the tension of one of said ropes at each end of the frame whereby the Whole load may be carried by one of said ropes while the other rope carries substantially none of the load, for the purposes set forth.

I do not IOO IIO

2. Ina ladle-crane, the combination of a movable carriage, winding-drums upon opposite portions of said carriage, mechanism for rotating said winding-drums, a frame or beam below said carriage and drums, adapted to have a ladle secured thereto7 two ropes so connecting each end of said frame to the drums above it that as said drums are rotated the frame is moved up and down in a position always substantially parallel to its rst position, and mechanisml for adjusting the tension on one of said ropes at each end of the frame whereby the whole load may be carried by one of said ropes, while the other rope carries substantially none of the load, for the purposes set forth.

3. In a ladle-crane, the combination of a movable carriage, windingdrums upon opposite portions of said carriage, mechanism for rotating said Winding-drums, a frame or beam below said carriage and drums, adapted to have a ladle secured thereto, two ropes passing over idle equalizing-pulleys attached to the crane-carriage near each winding-dru in; passing around pulley mechanism on the corresponding end of said frame and connected to the corresponding winding-drum, wherebyT as said drums are rotated the frame is moved up and down in a position always substantially parallel to its first position, and mechanism for adjusting the tension on one of said ropes at each end of the carriage whereby the whole load may be carried by one of said ropes While the other rope carries substantially none of the load, for the purposes Set forth.

4. In a ladle-crane, the combination of a movable crane-carriage,winding-drums upon opposite portions of said carriage, mechanism for rotating said winding-drums, a frame or beam belowsaid carriage and drums adapted to have a ladle secured thereto, two ropes connected to said crane-carriage, adjacent to each drum thence passing around pulleyvmechanism on the corresponding end of said frame and connected to the corresponding winding-drum, whereby as said drums are rotated the frame is moved up and down in a position always substantially parallel to its first position, and mechanism for adjusting the tension on one of said ropes at each end of the carriage, whereby the whole load may be carried by one of said ropes while the other rope carries substantially none of the load, for the purposes set forth.

5. In a ladle-crane, the combination of a movable crane-carriage, winding-drums upon opposite portions of said carriage, mechanism for rotating said winding-drums, two pulleys secu red to said carriage adjacent to each winding-dru 1n, mechanism for adjusting one of said pulleys up and down, a frame or beam belowsaid carriage and dru ms, adapted to have a ladle secured thereto, pulleys jour.

naled on said ladle-carrying beam below each winding-drum, and two ropes at each end of the ladle-frame each of them having their ends connected to the same winding-drum andpassing over the pulleys on the frame, one of them passing over one of the pulleys on the carriage and the other over the other pulley on the carriage, substantially as shown and described for the purposes set forth.

6. In a ladle-crane, the combination of a crane-carriage, winding-drums 50 upon opposite portions of said carriage, double righthandthreaded rope-guides 51 cut on one half of said drums and similarleft-hand-threaded guides 52 on the opposite half of said drums, mechanism for rotating said winding-drums, two pulleys 62 and 63 secured to said carriage adjacent to each winding-drum, mechanism for adjusting said pulleys 62 and 63 with reference to the crane-carriage, a frame or beam 66 below said carriage adapted to have a ladle secured thereto, pulleys 72 and 73 journaled on each end of said frame 66, two ropes 84 and 85 at each end of said frame 66 one end of each rope being secured in one of the screwthread grooves 5l of drum 50 and the other end of each rope being secured in one of the screw-thread grooves 52 of said drum, the two ropes also passing together over pulleys 72 and 73, and one of said ropes passing over pulley 62 and the other over pulley 63, substantially as described for the purposes set forth.

FRED A. BUNDLE.

WVitnesses:

G. R. BRANDON, DWIGHT B. CHEEVER. 

